Do you speak French? Well for me, the answer is certainly not, but while in Paris, it didn't really matter. Everywhere we went, since from the second any of us opened our mouth it was blatantly obvious we were Americans, we were immediately catered to by being waited on in English. While it was really nice to not have to worry about speaking another language, it was so interesting to me that nearly everyone we met in France spoke our language, yet the majority of Americans are fluent in only one--our own. It made our weekend-long stay in The City of Light very easy, and we had a fabulous time! Since we were there for only a little under 3 days, it was essential to make the most of our time, so we planned carefully and this is what we accomplished...
Thursday, January 21, 2010:
-Departed from London @ 2:04 p.m.
-Arrived in Paris @ 5:26 p.m.
-Hotel check-in
-Went to dinner where I had the best French onion soup I've ever had in my life
Friday, January 22, 2010:
-Visited the Louvre and saw the Mona Lisa, among many other famous works of art
-Went to see the opera house
-Took the streets of Paris for some shopping!
-Made our way to Arc de Triomphe
-Finished the day with dinner (apparently Italians aren't the only ones who are good at cooking pasta)
Saturday, January 23, 2010:
-Took the metro to the Eiffel Tower, which is just as cool in the freezing cold rain
-Toured Musee d'Orsay, where I saw pieces by Van Gough, Monet, and sooo many more...I have to say, it's a lot better in person than on a slide in art history class
-Visited Notre Dame and although we missed out on Quasimodo, there were actually gypsies outside the cathedral
-Took a nighttime boat tour and saw the whole city in lights--it was so pretty!
-Finished our trip with a fantastic dinner at the River Cafe. If you're ever in Paris, go there!! It might have been the best food I've ever eaten.
Sunday, January 24, 2010:
-Said goodbye to Paris and boarded the Eurostar at 8:55 a.m.
The city just had so much to offer. The shopping, sites, and food were amazing, so if you go, do as much as you possibly can, and make sure you don't leave without eating a croissant :)
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
So Much Catching Up To Do!
It's been about two weeks since my last post, and that's because believe it or not, I've been crazy busy, even without having started my classes or internship.
I spent the last couple weeks getting accustomed to London, and it's been fantastic. I finally know how to use the tube, which is a good feeling! There's too much to talk about in just one blog entry, so in order to avoid a ridiculous amount of potential rambling, I've composed a list of some highlights :)
1. Registered for courses with hopes of having off on Fridays (I think it was a success!)
2. Participated in a home stay weekend in Woking, a town about 20 miles outside London, where I stayed with a cute British woman who cooked us homemade dinners (totally cool because my cooking skills are limited)
3. Visited Windsor Castle! But missed out on the Queen and those 2 cute grandsons of hers :)...maybe next time
4. Went to a club called 333 and had a great time! The DJ played a perfect mix of stuff I could recognize and easy-to-dance-to techno/dance music. Jay-Z's "Empire State of Mind" is even better when it comes on outside the U.S.
5. Walked and walked and walked around London, which really, I've grown to love and makes me feel better about not joining a gym while I'm here
6. Made a trip to Piccadilly Circus, where a student ID gets you in for free at the Sports Club on Tuesday nights (good deal, right?). The music was seriously awesome, and it was fun, but it was entirely too American for me. I'm here to experience London, and although the Sports Club was a good time, it wasn't anything I couldn't find back at home.
7. Went to the theatre but couldn't appreciate it as much as I would have liked because I was still majorly jet lagged. I can't wait to go back!
8. Planned and made a weekend trip to Paris, which deserves its own post, so stay tuned!
I spent the last couple weeks getting accustomed to London, and it's been fantastic. I finally know how to use the tube, which is a good feeling! There's too much to talk about in just one blog entry, so in order to avoid a ridiculous amount of potential rambling, I've composed a list of some highlights :)
1. Registered for courses with hopes of having off on Fridays (I think it was a success!)
2. Participated in a home stay weekend in Woking, a town about 20 miles outside London, where I stayed with a cute British woman who cooked us homemade dinners (totally cool because my cooking skills are limited)
3. Visited Windsor Castle! But missed out on the Queen and those 2 cute grandsons of hers :)...maybe next time
4. Went to a club called 333 and had a great time! The DJ played a perfect mix of stuff I could recognize and easy-to-dance-to techno/dance music. Jay-Z's "Empire State of Mind" is even better when it comes on outside the U.S.
5. Walked and walked and walked around London, which really, I've grown to love and makes me feel better about not joining a gym while I'm here
6. Made a trip to Piccadilly Circus, where a student ID gets you in for free at the Sports Club on Tuesday nights (good deal, right?). The music was seriously awesome, and it was fun, but it was entirely too American for me. I'm here to experience London, and although the Sports Club was a good time, it wasn't anything I couldn't find back at home.
7. Went to the theatre but couldn't appreciate it as much as I would have liked because I was still majorly jet lagged. I can't wait to go back!
8. Planned and made a weekend trip to Paris, which deserves its own post, so stay tuned!
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Definitely Not the City That Never Sleeps
Choose the answer that best fits:
_______ is the city that attracts the most visitors/tourists every year.
a. Las Vegas
b. London
c. Sydney
d. New York
If you guessed B, you're right! This was a little fact in a video shown on my flight to London with Virgin Atlantic (which, by the way, is super nice and my new favorite airline). London receives more visitors annually than Las Vegas, Sydney, and New York combined, and now I know why.
I am absolutely loving everything about London so far! It really is an amazing (not to mention enormous) city. Yesterday, my first day here, I ate Dominos pizza, which was followed by Starbucks coffee--not so much a dive into UK culture. But after today, I want to experience everything I possibly can while I'm here. There is an unbelievable amount of stuff to do, and 4 months doesn't seem like enough time to even make a dent in it.
After orientation at City University, we visited St. Paul's cathedral, which is incredible and completely breathtaking. After this, on our way to Tate Museum of Modern Art, we crossed Millennium Bridge, which is surrounded by an amazing view of the city including an all-you-ever-imagined-it-to-be view Tower Bridge. On the way to dinner, we walked along the river, passing The London Eye and Big Ben, and I couldn't believe what I had before only seen through Google images was right in front of me.
While I'm quickly falling in love with London, there are some things that will undoubtedly take some adjustment. So far, what has had the biggest effect on me is how early stores close. By the time I got a chance to go to the store to get sheets, an alarm clock, and towels at 6:30 last night, the store was closed, and I was shocked. Instead of waking up with an alarm this morning, I had my mom call me on Skype (pathetic, I know). I dried off in the shower using a t-shirt and slept on a mattress and comforter without sheets or a duvet cover.
Besides this, there are so many other subtle differences between here and the U.S. that are going to be so much fun to discover. As my program (or programme, I guess it would be here) adviser said today: it's not better, it's not worse, it's just different. Here are some of the things in comparing cities I found so far:
1.
New York:
Drive like maniacs on the right side of the road.
London:
Drive like maniacs on the left side of the road (Trying to not get hit by a car/huge red bus while crossing is a lot harder than you'd think)
2.
New York:
A Milky Way=A Milky Way
A Mars Bar=A Mars Bar
An Almond Joy=An Almond Joy
London:
A Milky Way=A 3 Musketeers
A Mars Bar=A Milky Way
A Bounty=An Almond Joy
3.
New York:
Diet Coke is 0 calories
London:
Diet coke is 40 calories
4.
New York:
Cut food with a knife using your right hand, then proceed to put the knife down and eat with a fork using your right hand(or opposite for lefties)
London:
Eat while never putting your knife or fork down,cutting with your right and eating with a fork in your left
5.
New York:
Ridiculously expensive
London:
Ridiculously, crazily expensive
6.
New York:
Call a room with toilets a bathroom
London:
Call a room with toilets a loo
7.
New York:
Drinking age is 21
London:
Drinking age is 18
8.
New York:
Beer is served in moderately sized glasses
London:
Beer is served by the pint
9.
New York:
Public train service is called the Subway
London:
Public train service is called the Underground or the tube
10.
New York:
We never, ever see movies released in theaters that were made in other countries
London:
90% of movies in theaters are made in Hollywood. So far, I've seen promo ads for It's Complicated, Avatar, Alvin and the Chipmunks: the Squeakquel,and so many more posted everywhere
11.
New York:
There are no British fast food chains taking over our country
London:
McDonalds restaurants are on every block and Starbucks is on every corner
I can't wait to look out for more! I'm having so much fun already, I'm almost forgetting I'm here to STUDY abroad :)
_______ is the city that attracts the most visitors/tourists every year.
a. Las Vegas
b. London
c. Sydney
d. New York
If you guessed B, you're right! This was a little fact in a video shown on my flight to London with Virgin Atlantic (which, by the way, is super nice and my new favorite airline). London receives more visitors annually than Las Vegas, Sydney, and New York combined, and now I know why.
I am absolutely loving everything about London so far! It really is an amazing (not to mention enormous) city. Yesterday, my first day here, I ate Dominos pizza, which was followed by Starbucks coffee--not so much a dive into UK culture. But after today, I want to experience everything I possibly can while I'm here. There is an unbelievable amount of stuff to do, and 4 months doesn't seem like enough time to even make a dent in it.
After orientation at City University, we visited St. Paul's cathedral, which is incredible and completely breathtaking. After this, on our way to Tate Museum of Modern Art, we crossed Millennium Bridge, which is surrounded by an amazing view of the city including an all-you-ever-imagined-it-to-be view Tower Bridge. On the way to dinner, we walked along the river, passing The London Eye and Big Ben, and I couldn't believe what I had before only seen through Google images was right in front of me.
While I'm quickly falling in love with London, there are some things that will undoubtedly take some adjustment. So far, what has had the biggest effect on me is how early stores close. By the time I got a chance to go to the store to get sheets, an alarm clock, and towels at 6:30 last night, the store was closed, and I was shocked. Instead of waking up with an alarm this morning, I had my mom call me on Skype (pathetic, I know). I dried off in the shower using a t-shirt and slept on a mattress and comforter without sheets or a duvet cover.
Besides this, there are so many other subtle differences between here and the U.S. that are going to be so much fun to discover. As my program (or programme, I guess it would be here) adviser said today: it's not better, it's not worse, it's just different. Here are some of the things in comparing cities I found so far:
1.
New York:
Drive like maniacs on the right side of the road.
London:
Drive like maniacs on the left side of the road (Trying to not get hit by a car/huge red bus while crossing is a lot harder than you'd think)
2.
New York:
A Milky Way=A Milky Way
A Mars Bar=A Mars Bar
An Almond Joy=An Almond Joy
London:
A Milky Way=A 3 Musketeers
A Mars Bar=A Milky Way
A Bounty=An Almond Joy
3.
New York:
Diet Coke is 0 calories
London:
Diet coke is 40 calories
4.
New York:
Cut food with a knife using your right hand, then proceed to put the knife down and eat with a fork using your right hand(or opposite for lefties)
London:
Eat while never putting your knife or fork down,cutting with your right and eating with a fork in your left
5.
New York:
Ridiculously expensive
London:
Ridiculously, crazily expensive
6.
New York:
Call a room with toilets a bathroom
London:
Call a room with toilets a loo
7.
New York:
Drinking age is 21
London:
Drinking age is 18
8.
New York:
Beer is served in moderately sized glasses
London:
Beer is served by the pint
9.
New York:
Public train service is called the Subway
London:
Public train service is called the Underground or the tube
10.
New York:
We never, ever see movies released in theaters that were made in other countries
London:
90% of movies in theaters are made in Hollywood. So far, I've seen promo ads for It's Complicated, Avatar, Alvin and the Chipmunks: the Squeakquel,and so many more posted everywhere
11.
New York:
There are no British fast food chains taking over our country
London:
McDonalds restaurants are on every block and Starbucks is on every corner
I can't wait to look out for more! I'm having so much fun already, I'm almost forgetting I'm here to STUDY abroad :)
Friday, January 8, 2010
It Just Hit Me
It's the final countdown. I'm leaving for a little under four months to live in another country in 2 days, 17 hours, and 34 minutes.
I can remember working crazily on my study abroad application that was due last April, when the actual experience seemed like it would never arrive. And now here it is, less than a week away. The preparations for my venture to London have been so hectic, I never really stopped to think about what I was leaving--until now.
-Passport (with the most unattractive picture ever taken of me)--Check!
-Student Visa--Got it!
-Subleasing my apartment in Happy Valley--Finally done :)
-Shopping for clothes/shoes that won't make me a dead giveaway of a tourist (a.k.a. no Uggs, flip-flops, or those big, comfy sweats we Americans love!)--Let's hope so
-Successfully packing my 2 suitcases and 1 carry-on--Ehh not quite
In the midst of snapping out of holiday mode and all the running around, it wasn't until earlier, when my dad gave me a going away present that my emotions got the best of me. Later today, I'll have a farewell lunch with 2 of my best friends who will be studying abroad in Italy and Spain. As my high school friends leave one-by-one to go back to school, I can't help but to feel a little bit of sadness for what I'm leaving behind.
While it seems like I'm leaving so much, what I've realized is that there's an incredible world of excitement only a few days away, and I can share it with everyone I'm missing at home through Skype (which will probably become my parents' best friend). And although leaving my parents before going through customs at JFK on Sunday will probably turn into waterworks central, I can't wait to begin the experience of a lifetime.
I can remember working crazily on my study abroad application that was due last April, when the actual experience seemed like it would never arrive. And now here it is, less than a week away. The preparations for my venture to London have been so hectic, I never really stopped to think about what I was leaving--until now.
-Passport (with the most unattractive picture ever taken of me)--Check!
-Student Visa--Got it!
-Subleasing my apartment in Happy Valley--Finally done :)
-Shopping for clothes/shoes that won't make me a dead giveaway of a tourist (a.k.a. no Uggs, flip-flops, or those big, comfy sweats we Americans love!)--Let's hope so
-Successfully packing my 2 suitcases and 1 carry-on--Ehh not quite
In the midst of snapping out of holiday mode and all the running around, it wasn't until earlier, when my dad gave me a going away present that my emotions got the best of me. Later today, I'll have a farewell lunch with 2 of my best friends who will be studying abroad in Italy and Spain. As my high school friends leave one-by-one to go back to school, I can't help but to feel a little bit of sadness for what I'm leaving behind.
While it seems like I'm leaving so much, what I've realized is that there's an incredible world of excitement only a few days away, and I can share it with everyone I'm missing at home through Skype (which will probably become my parents' best friend). And although leaving my parents before going through customs at JFK on Sunday will probably turn into waterworks central, I can't wait to begin the experience of a lifetime.
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